Pulled pork

After my last triathlon, we went to a great barbecue place in town. I had pulled pork with coleslaw for the first time, and it was pretty much a transcendental experience for me. I immediately added pulled pork to my list of things to make, but didn’t get around to it for a few months. For some reason, the idea of committing to buying a 4 pound piece of pork just kind of stressed me out. But then I decided to make char siu…, and that required 2 pounds of meat. I took the plunge, bought a 4 pound pork butt, and froze half for this very recipe. Weeks went by until I decided to retrieve the frozen chunk of meat to make pulled pork.

WHY did I wait so long ?!??! I don’t know…but now I want to make it again, and soon. Sweet, smoky, tangy – this is what barbecue should be. The best part? It just sits in the slow cooker all day, so when you get home from work, the smell will make you will drool instantly upon opening the door.

Marinade:

2 lbs boneless pork butt

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1/2 yellow onion, chopped

1 tbsp worchestershire sauce

1 tbsp hot sauce (I like Red Rooster)

Sauce:

3/4 cup ketchup

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 1/2 tsp smoke-flavored salt (my parents brought me some from Hawaii and it is awesome…if you don’t have this, kosher salt is fine too, and if you want to, you can add a couple drops of liquid smoke)

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

Cut the piece of pork into 2 or 3 equal-sized pieces.

Whisk together the ingredients for the marinade, and rub into the pork.

Let sit in the marinade overnight.

In the morning, mix together the ingredients for the sauce, adjusting amounts of sugar and vinegar depending on your preference for sweet or tangy sauce.

Put the pork and marinade in the slow cooker and pour the sauce over it.

Cook on low for about 8 hours, then shred with two forks and cook another hour.